


The Weight of A Life

by harbingerofanewage



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: AU, Angst, Mostly Canon- Compliant, Mother-Son Relationship, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-23
Updated: 2015-07-23
Packaged: 2018-04-10 18:16:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4402262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harbingerofanewage/pseuds/harbingerofanewage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Mako and Bolin's parents were murdered, it changed their lives forever. Little did she know that Chief Beifong's life would be forever changed as well. </p><p>AU where Lin is involved in Mako and Bolin's life after she becomes involved with the case of their parents' murder.  Focus on mother/son relationship between Mako and Lin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

"Zolt wants his money." The firebender was not easy to look at, a large scar disfiguring the right side of his face. 

"He'll get his money when he gets it." 

"Fifty thousand by next week, San." 

"Fifty thousand?! That's twice what we agreed on!"

"You disrespected the bossman. You're lucky he hasn't killed you already. Fifty thousand by next week, or you've got a tough decision to make."

"What do you mean?" 

"When you said the words 'till death do us part,' who did you think death was coming for first?" 

"No, not my wife. Please leave Naoki out of this." 

"Your precious wife, or those cute little boys of yours. You decide. I'd just get the money if I were you." 

"How are you even human? Why do you let Zolt make you do this?!" 

"He saved my life once, and now it's his." The man's eyes betrayed a deep sorrow in his soul for a split second, and San seemed to see his scar in greater detail than he ever had before. 

"But that's not the point. Point is, you've gotta pay up. And we'll be watching you, San. No funny business, no skipping out of town. We catch you trying to shortchange us? I'll kill you and make your sweet family watch. Maybe I'll be nice and kill them too. Maybe not. Understood?"

San gulped audibly and gave a small nod. 

"Good. Now get out of my sight." 

\--

It was uncharacteristically warm for an evening in early spring. Republic City looked a little less dreary today, the fresh warmth after a harsh winter putting a skip in the townsfolk's step. The shops and restaurants were bustling for once, and San and his family were out for a night on the town. 

"Mommy, daddy, can we go to Narook's?"

San turned, his eyes searching for approval from his wife, Naoki. 

"Sure, sweetie. But sooner or later we've got to pick a new place to eat! I don't think your brother can handle much more of that Water Tribe grub."

The whole family enjoyed Narook's, but Bolin truly couldn't get enough of it. Mako's enthusiasm for the joint had faded over the last few months, but Bolin's appetite for the place hadn't wavered. San and Naoki didn't mind; it was cheap enough for them to afford, and it was a nice place for them to spend time with their kids. Since they couldn't buy them toys that often, they figured the least they could do was treat them to some good food. 

Mako was getting excited. "I get to sit by mom this time!" 

San looked down at Mako, then looked back up at Naoki and chuckled. "Looks like I've got some competition for your affection! It's alright though, that means I get to sit with Bo!" 

He bent down to ruffle Bolin's hair, and when he stood to see a hulking figure walking towards him, he froze, a cold sweat taking him, one phrase stuck in his mind. 

_Till death do us part._

"Uh, boys, actually, your mom and I need to talk to someone. Here, take these yuans and go on without us. Narook will get you all fixed up, okay?" 

Cries of "but why?" went up from both the boys, but San shushed them and knelt, a tear forming in his right eye. 

_But it's only been three days!_

"Boys, just trust me, okay? I love you both so much. Mako, look after your brother, okay? Promise?" 

"I prooomise..." Mako didn't know why his father was being like this, but he thought it best to just agree. 

"Good. Bolin, behave for me alright? Mako's in charge, got it?" 

Tears were flowing freely now, and all of San's family was growing concerned. 

"Daddy, what's wrong?" Bolin asked. 

_They're going to have to live without parents. Oh spirits, what are they going to do? How will they survive?_

"Oh nothing, just some allergies. Spring is upon us now, I suppose," San said with a sad chuckle. 

He grabbed Mako's face and planted a kiss on his forehead, then did the same with Bolin. 

"Run along now, boys. We'll be there in a little while. Go straight to Narook's, and don't leave until we get there, okay?" 

Both the boys nodded, and San spoke to his boys for the last time. "I love you, now go." He turned them around and gave them a slight nudge to send them on their way. They started running to their destination, skipping past the hulking figure as they went. 

Naoki's face was a mix of concern and fear. "San, what's wrong?" 

He grabbed her arm and started walking quickly. "It's Zolt. Owe him money. He sent one of his goons after me, told me I had a week. Gave me a choice." 

As San rounded a corner into an alley, Naoki made him stop. Voice tremulous, she asked "What choice?" 

Taking one of her cheeks in his hand, choking on his words, he said, "I'm sorry love, but I couldn't let him take the boys..."


	2. No Going Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lin has some questions for the boys after the incident, and has some words with two police officers.

"Officer Lee to dispatch, I'm on the scene at 2523 Solstice Drive. We've got one male, black hair, green eyes, most likely of earth kingdom descent, looks to be about 35. Also here we have a woman with fair skin, brown eyes, most likely of fire nation descent, looks to be around 30 years old. I see wedding rings on both of them. Stab wounds, burns on both of them. We've got a double homicide on our hands."

"Dispatch to Officer Lee, I copy. I'll be sending some officers to your location shortly, along with Detectives Lu, Gang, and the M.E." 

"Dispatch." 

"Copy?" 

"Tell our officers to brace themselves. It's not a pretty scene."

\--

"I have to see them! Please! Those are my parents in there!" 

Mako was desperately trying to get past the officer, but he handled the boy with ease, holding him back from the gruesome scene.  
"No one gets past the line. Stay back."

"Those are my parents in there! Please, I want to see them!" Mako's desperate pleas were accompanied by sobs. Bolin made a run for it, but he was scooped up in one arm by Officer Chin and brought back out of the crime scene.

Lee knelt down to address Mako. "I'm Officer Lee. If these are your parents, then we're going to have to take you to the police station, okay?" 

"NO! I WANT TO SEE MY PARENTS! I HAVE TO SEE THEM!" Mako's screaming became incoherent and he started beating against Lee's chest. 

Bolin pleaded helplessly with his brother, "Mako, stop! Please! Stop it!" 

"Chin, help me out here." 

Lee wrapped his arms around Mako, who was still flailing at him helplessly, while Chin picked up Bolin, who gave no resistance; only silent sobs. They put them in the back of Chin's squad car and shut the door. 

"Chin, get these poor kids back to the station. I've got to get this scene dealt with before everybody around here gets too panicked." 

"Aye aye, sir." 

Lee gave the boys a sad, grim, look before he turned and walked back to deal with the bloody scene. 

As they made the trip to the station, all Mako could feel was salt in his eyes and a fire in his throat. Bolin only felt the cold, hard leather at his back and a hole tearing open in his heart. He wrapped his arms around his big brother, and they joined in their suffering. 

On the way there, Chin radioed in to the department. "Dispatch, this is Officer Chin. I'm currently en route to the station, with two boys who have identified themselves as the children of our victims of the homici-, the incident over on 2523. ETA, ten minutes." 

"Copy, this is dispatch. I'll make sure to notify Beifong of their arrival." 

After a few minutes of silence, Chin decided he'd try to lighten the mood. 

"So boys, what are your names?" 

The earthbender managed to choke out a response. "I- I'm Bolin." 

"Hi Bolin, I'm Chin. And what's your name?" He made eye contact with Mako through his rear view mirror, eyes inquiring. Mako's only response was to huff, cross his arms and avert his eyes, so Bolin answered for him. 

"His name is Mako. He's my big brother." 

"Well, Mako, Bolin, we're about to be at the station. There Chief Beifong's going to try to figure out what to do with you tonight. We'll find somewhere for you to sleep, okay?" 

Bolin gave a small nod while Mako continued to sulk. They rode in silence until they reached the station. Once he parked, Chin opened the door for the boys and led them inside, flagging down Beifong as they entered. 

"Chief! We've got the boys from the scene over on Solstice." 

"Officer Chin. Go ahead and bring them into my office, I'll be right there." 

"Come on boys, I'll show you where to go." Chin then led them to the plain oak door labeled "Chief Beifong," and opened it for them. 

"You two can go sit on those chairs over there, okay? The Chief's gonna be in here in a minute, and she's gonna ask you some questions." 

After they sat down, Chin feigned like he was trying to make sure Beifong couldn't hear, and said, "She might seem mean, but don't be scared of her. She's actually a huge softie." With a wink, he was out the door. 

Lin exchanged a nod with Chin as she passed him on her way in. After making her way over to the hickory desk in the back half of the room, she dropped a folder down with a short sigh. She then walked around the desk, grabbed the chair stationed there, and rolled it over in front of where the boys sat. Beifong sat down slowly and rested her elbows on her knees before she spoke. 

"Boys, I'm Chief Beifong. I know today has been... rough, but I'm still gonna need to ask you some questions about this evening. Take as long as you need to answer."

Although Lin hadn't been on the scene and had scant enough details about it, she still needed the brothers' recounting of it while it was fresh in their heads. Anything they could provide would help, and Lin needed to be able to draw some sort of conclusions about the situation early on. Her notes would be a big help to Lu and Gang whenever they wrapped up the investigation of the scene and initiated a suspect search.

If Lin was going to be honest with herself, she was doing their job, talking to the boys. 

_Those guys might be decent enough detectives, but they sure don't have sufficient tact to deal with these kids. To be honest, I'm not that great either, but I've got a better hold on my tongue._

_Alright, let's get to work._

"First question: when were you last with your parents?" 

Mako's eyes were on his shoes, but he still managed to squeak out an answer. "Narook's." 

The chief rolled her chair over to her desk to grab a notepad and pen, then rolled back to the boys. "Narook's, is it? What about Narook's?" 

Mako's breath was labored, and his voice was shaky with a response. "We were all going to Narook's. But, but then dad told us to go without him and mom, and gave me some yuans for the food." He pulled out the meager amount to show the chief. 

"And were either of your parents acting strangely?"

Mako started to breath heavily, chest heaving. Feeling his brother's hand squeeze his, Mako's racing heart began to settle. Bolin answered the question for him. 

"He acted like he was going to go with us and then he told us to go by ourselves but he never lets us go by ourselves. He told us he loved us and he looked like he was crying but he said it was allergies and he said that Mako was in charge and he kissed us and then we left." 

_Did he see his attacker coming? What other reason for the sudden change in demeanor?_

"And he was acting perfectly normal all day?" 

Bolin nodded. 

_So he knew the attacker. Who would want him dead?_

Lin wrote "knew attacker" on her notepad.

"How about your mom? Was she acting strangely too?" 

Mako had recovered enough to reply. "I don't think so. She looked like she didn't know why dad was being weird." 

_Wife didn't know about the assailant. What did he get himself into that she didn't know about? Or couldn't?_

Lin scribbled "mom out of the loop, dad possibly in dangerous/illegal activity," on her notepad. 

_If the wife didn't know about the attack, why didn't he have her leave too?_

Mako leaned forward, attempting to read what the chief had written on her pad. Seeing what he was doing, Lin jerked up the pad where he couldn't see what she had scribbled there. 

Mako looked back up at the chief. "What are you writing?" 

"I'm making some notes. It'll help our detectives find whoever did this." 

"Oh." He slunk back into his chair and crossed his arms. 

"So boys, what happened after you left your parents?" 

Bolin answered. "We went to Narook's and I had my favorite beef noodles and Mako had chicken and we ate it all because we were really hungry."

"And after that?" 

"We waited for a while because dad told us to wait for him." 

"So eventually you two left Narook's?" 

Mako answered the Chief. "We waited and then we started to get worried because we thought mom and dad were gonna be there soon."

His voice became tremulous as he continued. "So we went back down the street, and we, we saw..." 

Now crying, Mako said, "We saw the cops and then I saw them on the ground and I wasn't sure it was them. But then I saw Dad's scarf..." 

Mako's crying turned into gut wrenching sobs. Bolin started crying as well, holding his brother as tight as he could. Beifong's hand reached out hesitantly, but stopped. She withdrew her hand and leaned back in her chair awkwardly, not sure how to comfort these children. 

_Poor kids. I can't even imagine having to go through this. Walking in on the scene of your parents' murder? Inconceivable. At least the father had the good sense to send them away. I guess it was the last thing he could do for them._

After a good ten minutes, the brothers had quieted down, tears drying on their cheeks and breaths labored. 

"Boys, I, I know it's tough right now, but I just have a couple more questions. Just a couple more, and then we're done, okay?" 

Mako nodded, his body rocking back and forth. 

"What happened after you made it to the scene?" 

"I tried to get past the officers, but they wouldn't let us see our parents. I started screaming at him to let us see them, but then he got this other cop and they put me and Bolin in the cop car and then we came here."

Anger now in her voice, she said, "So you weren't allowed to see your parents, and then they put you in the car and brought you here?" 

Mako nodded once again. Now furious, Beifong stood up, walked over to her desk, and picked up the phone and dialed.

"Dispatch."

"What can I do for you, Chief?" 

"There was an incident over on 2523 Solstice Drive. Officer Chin brought back two boys. Can you tell me who else was on the scene?" 

"Officer Lee was the first on the scene, with Officer Chin not far behind. Lee called in backup, but none had arrived before Chin radioed in and told me he was en route with the children." 

"Who all was sent as backup?"

"Officers Fong, Gow, and Bujing, as well as detectives Lu and Gang, Ma'am. The medical examiner was sent as per protocol as well." 

"Tell Lee to get his ass back to the station. Chin too, wherever he is. Lu and Gang now have charge of the scene."

"Right away, Ma'am." 

"Thank you. Beifong out." 

She turned to the boys and huffed. 

"I'm going to have a word with these officers you told me about, when they get back to the station. So um, just sit in here for now, I've got some work to do before they get here." 

She angrily shuffled through papers on her desk until the officers arrived. When a knock came on the door, she stopped. 

With unveiled hostility, she asked, "Who is it?" 

"It's officer Lee, Ma'am. Chin is here too. May we come in?"

"No. Stay out there. You've got a lot of explaining to do." 

She stood up and went over to the door. Her hand on the handle, she stopped and looked at the boys. 

"I'll be back in a minute. We'll get this figured out." 

She went out of her office and walked past her officers, gesturing for them to follow as she went. When she was sure she had gotten out of earshot of the brothers, Lin stopped. 

"I've got one question for you two."

Lee answered, "What is it, boss?" 

"What _the fuck_ were you thinking?!" 

"Wha, what do you mean, Chief?" 

"What do I mean? I mean why on earth are you taking these kids off the scene? The older one, he told me he saw his dad's scarf, and as far as I know, that is the only thing we have identifying these boys as the children of the victims. A lot of people wear scarves, Chin. What if that was some other guy with a scarf, huh? You realize that we could have just _illegally detained_ two minors, _kidnapped two children_ ,because you two dickheads couldn't let them properly identify themselves!" 

Her arms were at her sides, hands balled into fists. 

"Chief, I-" 

"Shut up. I'm not done yet. Do you dumbasses realize that by having Chin here leave with those kids, you left the scene of a _double fucking homicide_ alone to a single officer?"

"Chief, I had called for backup before he left." 

"I don't give a _shit_ if you called for backup, Lee! Do you realize what could have happened? What if some opportunistic thief decided to come rob the bodies, possibly removing crucial evidence? What if some overzealous reporter got too close and contaminated the crime scene, huh? It's basic protocol. If you needed Chin to leave the scene, you should have waited for the backup to arrive."

"Chief, please let me explain-"

"No, one more thing. So you come upon the scene of a murder. You then get two kids come up to you, obviously distraught, screaming for their parents, and instead of following protocol or being a _rational human being_ , you take these boys, put them in the back of a cop car against their will and bring them to the station? I pose my first question again: what the fuck were you thinking?" 

"Permission to speak without interruption?" 

"We'll see. Go on." 

"Chief, if you'd have seen what I saw, you wouldn't have wanted to let those children see it either. There was an eye burned out of its socket, stab wounds everywhere, brains on the ground... it made me sick to my stomach, boss. I didn't want them to see that. As for leaving me alone on the scene, that was a poor decision on my part, and I take full responsibility. I'd request that you take no action on Chin; he was just following my orders."

Some of the anger in the Chief's eyes receded, and she sighed.

"Okay, Lee. You were right not to let them see that. You still fucked up, though. We can't keep these boys here legally if we haven't identified them as next of kin. We'll let the crew on Solstice get the scene cleaned up, let the M.E. get an autopsy report and tomorrow we'll bring the boys in and have them identify their parents."

Chin spoke up. "What do we do with the boys now, if we can't keep them here? We don't want them out on the streets, do we?" 

Beifong rubbed her forehead in exasperation before saying, "No. I'll see if they have any other family in the city. I doubt it, if no one else has come knocking on our door." 

"And what if they don't?" 

"Well, I guess they can stay at my apartment for the night. If they want to, of course. I can't force them, but I don't imagine they want the alternative."

"That's really generous of you, Chief. Especially since you don't seem to be particularly fond of children."

"I'm not, Chin. But I don't have a heart of stone, if that's what you're thinking." 

The officers didn't have any reply, so the three of them stood in solemn silence for a few moments. Beifong looked Lee in the eyes, then Chin, and then looked down at the floor and put her hands on her hips. 

Still looking at the floor, she said, "Go home, boys. Get some sleep." 

They both nodded, and as Lee turned to go, Lin raised her arm and said, "Lee."

"Yes, Chief?" 

"If something like this happens again, there will be consequences for you."

"Understood," Lee said before walking away. 

_I can tell right now this is going to be a mess._

Lin scratched her scalp as she walked back into her office. She walked back and plopped down into her chair. Bolin had fallen asleep, but Mako was still staring blankly at the floor. 

"Okay, boys. We can't keep you here at the station tonight."

Bolin woke at the sound of her voice, and Mako looked up to meet the Chief's eyes.

"Due to some legal stuff, you can't stay here tonight. Do you have any other family members in town that you could stay with?" 

Mako answered, "No. We don't have any other family." 

With a sigh, Beifong said, "Alright then. I'm willing to let you two stay with me tonight, if you want. I don't want you to have to sleep out on the streets." 

Bolin asked, "What about our parents?" 

"Tomorrow, we'll need you two to come in and identify that they're really your parents."

Mako asked, "What about our house?" 

"At some point, we'll take you there to gather what possessions you'd like. Since you've got no other family, what you don't take gets impounded."

Bolin turned to Mako and asked quietly, "Are, are we gonna be okay?" 

Mako squeezed his brother's hand and said, "I don't know, Bo. I don't know." When Mako turned to Lin with inquiring eyes, a pit formed in her stomach. She knew she would have to tell them the truth. 

"I, I really don't know, kids. I'm not gonna lie to you and say that everything's gonna be alright. All I can tell you right now is that, for now, you have a place to stay. You'll have somewhere to sleep, food to eat; somewhere to keep warm. And we'll call the social workers and hopefully they can find an orphanage for you two to stay in. After that, I can't tell you what'll happen." 

The boys both lowered their heads, obviously not getting the answer they wanted. 

_Nice going, Beifong. They looked to you for some comfort and you give them the cold, hard, terrible truth. You're really not good with kids._

"Hey, I bet you guys are tired, it's probably a little past your bedtime. You can come sleep on my bed and I'll sleep on the couch. How does that sound?" 

"Good," Bolin whispered.

"Alright then. Let's get out of this dreary place." 

The boys stood up to follow the Chief out of the station. The only thing that was certain to them now was the fact that their lives would never be the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I hope you like it so far. It was quite fun to write Lin dragging those cops. 
> 
> Big shout out to MissAsamiSato for all her help and moral support. Go check out her story, Petals of Flame! 
> 
> As always, feel free to comment.


End file.
